


The Wraith and the Witch

by Pekinaso



Series: Season 11 Snippets [3]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29686872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pekinaso/pseuds/Pekinaso
Summary: Azazel is attacked in his throne world by the Witch-Queen herself. Barely surviving, he sends a distress call to Nova.
Series: Season 11 Snippets [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181492
Kudos: 1





	1. Attack

The Ascendant Plane, Cosmodrome, Old Russia. The envoy twitched uncontrollably as platforms ascended from the abyss, paving a way forward towards a small court. As the Wizard neared, the twisted whispers of spells seeped out from behind the walls. Green flames ignited in the braziers at the summit of the stairs as the Taken messenger made its way inside.

The crystal that lay within, sharing the same color as the flames just outside, seemed to hum and hiss as it began to glow and project a form: the form of a Hive God. The green projection appeared humanoid, hooded, but covered in spines and growths. Its three brightly glowing eyes bore deep into the messenger, and for a moment, all was quiet.

" **So she didn't come after all,** " a voice spoke quietly. The figure encased within the crystal did not shift from his curled position. " **Instead, she sent an envoy. How disappointing.** "

An eerie wind cut through the air of the otherwise deafening quiet of the Ascendant Plane. The hooded figure twitched and opened his bright green eyes as he twisted around to face the messenger.

No.

He looked past the messenger.

" **It seems I was wrong.** "

The figure felt a feeling akin to fingers prying into his mind as his joints appeared to stiffen. A song, foreboding and viral, was forced into his mind. He grimaced at its sound. 

A question was asked amidst the silence. And for a moment, the conversation was at a standstill.

The silence was at its loudest. But only for a moment.

The figure's projection reared back violently and raised its hands, forming a Hive cleaver. It struck down the messenger and the formless being secretly accompanying it, but the hidden shape retaliated. A shockwave ripped throughout the Hive God's court, decimating the throne world as the figure's projection faltered and his crystal shattered. The pathway that had formed earlier scattered in the wind and fell into the abyss. The green flames were extinguished as the braziers crumbled. The hooded figure's own Wizards were wiped from existence.

The envoy and its master were gone. So too was the hooded figure, lost to the abyss.

A cold wind howled through the Ascendant Plane.

Then, silence.


	2. Messenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azazel's envoy appears before Nova and Eris, and both come to the realization that something is wrong.

The Cradle, Io. Nova sat on one of the Tree of Silver Wings' roots as Eris scratched notes into her journal with intrigue. As she wrote, the Warlock shaped Light between her hands, bending and twisting it with utmost care. But her concentration faltered and the Light dispersed when the Taken Wizard materialized before the two. Eris closed her journal with haste as Nova jumped down from the tree root, her body radiating with Void Light.

"I thought you had already cleared out the interference," Eris said softly, tightly gripping the chitin knife she had been using to write. The Warlock, however, began to relax as the purple glow around her faded.

"This is not Savathûn's."

"Is it yours?"

Under her helmet, Nova's eyes narrowed. She inspected the Wizard, who possessed a yellow tint to its eye and claws and spines growing from its back and head—the mark of a Taken major. But she recognized the Wizard all the same, despite its growth.

"No. This… this is The Wraith's."

"Azazel." Eris reached out her hand, and her glowing green clutch floated to it. "I remember your letters. I always thought a more appropriate title for him would have been 'Defiler of Light'."

"He titled himself." Nova stared at the Wizard as it twitched erratically, and she realized it was playing the part of an envoy. "But something is wrong. Azazel wouldn't have reached out to me like this under normal circumstances."

Eris stiffened as she drew the clutch close to herself, hunching over slightly.

"Do you hear that?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, this envoy is relaying its message. It's asking me to follow it, but… there's a song." A pause. The Warlock grimaced. "That song."

"I fear he may have crossed paths with Savathûn herself."

Nova's gaze dropped down to the earth as her mind raced with worries.

"I hope he's alright."

"I find it intriguing that you are worried about his well-being," Eris spoke slowly as she regarded the Wizard with curiosity.

"Because he will make a useful ally."

"You've said the same about the rat."

"The Drifter has proven to be useful, no?" The Warlock brandished her gauntlets, Taken energy swirling within them.

"You're toying with forces you should not be."

"You and me both, Eris." Nova extended her hand and Scorpius materialized in her palm. Her shoulders sagged as her tone quieted. "You and me both."

The Wizard faded into particles of energy as Nova transmatted into her ship, hovering in Io's atmosphere near the Lost Oasis. Eris watched them both leave before turning back towards the tree and looking up at the beam of orange light originating from the Pyramid.

"The Witch-Queen has made her next move." She slowly looked down into her clutch, staring at the shard of bone within as she contemplated the fall of The Wraith.


	3. Restoration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova follows Azazel's envoy and finds him severely weakened and barely alive. Unwilling to lose him, she assists in a ritual to restore his throne world and his means of self-restoration before leaving behind several parting gifts.

What was once the Court of Azazel was now ruins. Nova hovered in the Ascendant Plane on her shadowy wings as she scanned what was left of it. In the distance, she could see the remains of the temple that had acted as the throne room.

"You don't think he's dead, do you?" Scorpius chirped quietly as he surveyed the destruction.

"He couldn't have sent the envoy if he was."

"Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"Notice what?"

Her Ghost regarded her with a hard stare.

"That Wizard has some free will."

"Oh. That's what you meant."

"So you did notice."

"Of course. Ever since I Took her."

"Speaking of, look over there."

Nova shifted her gaze to her right slightly, spotting a faint Taken glow. The Wizard floated patiently as it stared at the Warlock from a distance. With a couple small flaps of her wings, Nova flew over to the Wizard, but as she neared it disappeared in particles of Taken energy.

"Where'd she go?"

Scorpius floated up to look around, and found the Wizard just a ways away.

"She's not too far ahead. I think she's leading us to him."

Nova once again flew to the Wizard, and as she neared it teleported once more. The two continued this until the Wizard moved one last time to a floating rock occupied by a body. It reached a claw out towards the body as if to touch it, but stopped and looked at the Warlock expectantly. She flew over quickly and knelt next to the humanoid form, her wings fading away as she did. As she inspected the body, it inhaled sharply and turned its head to look at her, its three eyes glowing weakly.

"What happened?" Nova asked. Azazel chuckled slightly, his throat raspy. He inhaled with difficulty.

"What do you think happened? Didn't she tell you?" He nodded his head slightly towards the Wizard.

"So you did find Savathûn."

"The Witch found me, you mean." He drew another breath, this one shaky. He curled his fingers resting on the side of his abdomen, and Nova spotted green shards between his fingers embedded into his armor.

"She left you in terrible shape."

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious."

"But how did you survive?"

"She was powerful. More than I thought she'd be. But Izik here…" Another shaky breath. "Izik was the only survivor of the Wizards you left me with. She rescued me and brought me here. And she's been using her own magic to heal me."

"Izik…" Nova looked at the Wizard. "I see. You managed to get your own personal Omnigul."

Azazel cursed quietly as he shifted slightly, curling his fingers more.

"Damn Witch…"

"Let me remove those for you." As Nova reached for the crystal shards, the Hunter quickly slapped her hand away.

"No, it's fine. I can manage."

"They're buried deep."

The Wraith cursed again, this time louder and in the language of the Hive, as he sat up slightly.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no: I can no longer help you against the Darkness. Not in this condition."

"Then what if I help you?"

"Help me?" The Hive God chuckled again. "Don't be stupid. There's nothing you can do for me."

The Warlock raised her left hand as it began to emit Taken energy, her fingertips shifting to a glowing teal and white.

"I can tell you have some energy left within you."

"What are you doing?"

"I need you to channel your power to at least rebuild your crystal. That way, you can restore and continue to grow your strength."

Azazel regarded her with slight disdain before looking at Izik. He spoke to her in Hive language, and the Wizard extended her claws towards him. He moved his hand away from his abdomen and rested it on the rock beneath him. He exhaled slowly.

"Fine. If you do this, I anticipate I'll need another three months before I can have any sort of meaningful strength."

"Works for me." Nova rested her hand on Azazel's chest as his eyes began to glow brightly. A green mist-like energy radiated from Izik's claws towards the Hunter as he began to chant. A faint green glow surrounded his form as the crystal shards embedded in him loosened and emerged, leaving glowing green scars behind as they floated before him.

Rocks began to rise from deep within the abyss below and come together, reconstructing the temple. Shards of crystal, like those that had pierced him, also began to rise from the depths. Nova pulled her hand away as he began to float up, still chanting in Hive speech as his eyes shone with venomous green light. The shards of crystal encased his form, restoring the shape of his former cocoon, as the cracks glowed with the same light as Azazel's eyes. Inside, he began to shift his body, curling up as the glow in his eyes began to die and his spell neared its end. This prompted Izik to float up towards the crystal and extend her claws toward it, releasing tendrils of energy that seemed to push the crystal into the mostly rebuilt temple.

"The Will of Azazel indeed," Nova muttered under her breath as she watched the Wizard work her magic. There was a final shifting of stone settling in place as Azazel finished his chant and closed his eyes. With the last of his power exhausted, he returned to his state of suspended animation to begin slowly recharging his strength.

"He might not have had the power to fix everything to exactly the way it was, but he did pretty good," Scorpius said suddenly with awe. "I'd say that's a solid eighty percent."

"I gave him some of my strength too." Nova looked down at her left hand, which had lost its glow and returned to normal.

"So, what now?"

"I give him a couple more Wizards, and maybe give that Izik some instructions." The Warlock's shadow wings manifested once more, spreading out from her back with grandeur. She gave them a single flap and flew up to Izik, who turned to look at her.

"Izik, Will of Azazel," Nova began, regarding her with respect. "You are tasked with ensuring that The Wraith is healed and his strength restored. You have the command of the Wizards I will leave behind to channel their magics into him. You will also have the command of a small army of Taken I will also leave behind."

Izik seemed to nod, emitting an almost quiet screech.

"And you will be responsible for one more thing. I will leave one final parting gift. Should the Witch-Queen return, I need you to wake it."

Another screech, though this one was much louder. A screech of excitement? The Wizard followed Nova as she flew down to the temple's entrance, down to what was left of the courtyard. The Warlock observed the weakly burning flames in the mostly repaired by cracked braziers at the top of the stairs before floating over to one flame. Her Ghost observed her curiously.

"Nova, what are you doing?"

"I took just a bit of Azazel's power while he was doing his thing. Now I just need a bit of magic."

"Hive magic? Just ask Izik."

"No, she's done enough already. But there's just enough Hive magic and energy in these flames here." She plunged her hand into the fire.

"Nova?! Don't touch the soulfire!"

The Warlock pulled back her hand quickly, holding a ball of flame in her palm—unfazed and unharmed.

"It's alright. Azazel's magic is a potent barrier." She returned to the courtyard as her body glowed with Light and her left hand glowed with Taken energy. Izik watched her with interest.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

With arcane strength, the Warlock weaved the soulfire, Taken energy, and her own Light into a shape. It began to take the form of a giant Hive Knight with cracked flesh, to which Izik responded by channeling her own magic into it. Several of the cracks sealed and grew small, but those that remained emitted a cool, chilling light. At the Knight's chest sat a blight that seemed to fuel the energy flowing through the cracks throughout its body, acting as the creature's heart. Its three eyes blazed to life, glowing a bright white. It emitted a low groaning sound as it twitched its fingers and raised its hands to inspect them.

Nova noted the holes on its palms that emitted the same Taken light as its veins, as well as the glowing green claws it possessed. The Warlock also noted the pattern of horns on its head, which mimicked Crota's, but also possessed qualities of Oryx's and Azazel's. Her concentration broke as the beast roared and held out its hands, conjuring soulfire and its own energy into a massive cleaver; the Knight's weapon possessed glowing cracks like itself, but its design was unlike any cleaver that the Hive had wielded.

Izik lowered her claws and looked over at Nova, as if to ask for confirmation. Nova only nodded at her as they regarded the giant she had just created.

"You will serve The Wraith with utmost loyalty, and you will protect him from any harm that could befall him."

The Knight seemed to gnash its crooked teeth together, its eyes boring into the Warlock.

"Go forth and serve your master, Blade of Azazel."

The Knight seemed content with this and turned towards the temple. It gripped its cleaver tightly in its claws as it turned back to Nova and stood tall. It crossed its arm over its chest as strands of soulfire crossed over its heart to conceal it. It held the cleaver's hilt with both hands as it appeared to petrify, the light in its eyes dying. With a final deep rumble from its throat, the Blade of Azazel entered a dormant state, a sleep that could only be broken by Izik's magic.

The Will of Azazel screeched in what sounded like delight as she marveled at the frozen Blade, floating around it with excitement. Nova raised her left hand, enveloped with the glow of Taken energy, and no less than ten Wizards manifested at her side. They screeched collectively as they floated hastily towards the temple to assist with Azazel's crystalline cocoon. Izik watched them intently before looking back over at the Guardian.

"Oh, right." She raised her arm higher as it glowed brighter, causing multiple Taken to materialize onto the courtyard. Taken of multiple races hissed as they looked up at Izik, who seemed pleased to see the army at her disposal. She gave a low shriek and the Taken dispersed as quickly as they had appeared. She gave one final long shriek at Nova before also dispersing in particles of energy.

"She seemed happy."

"Overjoyed."

"I'm just more impressed you made a Hive Knight."

"I have some tricks. Though I couldn't have done it without Azazel's Hive magic."

"Or Izik's."

"She helped quite a bit."

"So you gave him a Blade. Did you name it?"

"No, I think it's better if Azazel names his own servants."

"Tell me you have some control over that thing."

"It's up to Izik's discretion to wake him."

"So you don't…"

"Relax, Scorpius. It's not like the relationship between her and I is tenuous."

"Yeah, well, you better hope she doesn't wake that giant… thing up if we ever need to come back."

"I can hear the urge to leave in your voice. You aren't fooling me."

"Yeah, well, can we then?"

Nova sighed as she wrapped her wings around both herself and her Ghost, the shadows bending around them as they teleported back to the Cosmodrome outside.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers!  
> This piece was written shortly after Bungie announced the huge delay to Beyond Light, and serves as a direct sequel to _Ascendance_. As usual, please enjoy and feel free to correct spelling/grammar + drop constructive criticism!


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